Relevant Words of God:

Knowledge of God’s authority, God’s power, God’s own identity, and God’s essence cannot be achieved by relying on your imagination. Since you cannot rely on imagination to know the authority of God, then in what way can you achieve a true knowledge of God’s authority? The way to do this is through eating and drinking the words of God, through fellowship, and through experiencing the words of God. Thus, you will have a gradual experience and verification of God’s authority and you will gain a gradual understanding and incremental knowledge of it. This is the only way to achieve the knowledge of God’s authority; there are no shortcuts. Asking you not to imagine is not the same as making you sit passively to await destruction, or stopping you from doing anything. Not using your brain to think and imagine means not using logic to infer, not using knowledge to analyze, not using science as the basis, but instead appreciating, verifying, and confirming that the God you believe in has authority, confirming that He holds sovereignty over your fate, and that His power at all times proves Him to be the true God Himself, through the words of God, through the truth, through everything that you encounter in life. This is the only way that anyone can achieve an understanding of God. Some say that they wish to find a simple way of achieving this aim, but can you think of such a way? I tell you, there is no need to think: There are no other ways! The only way is to conscientiously and steadfastly know and verify what God has and is through every word that He expresses and everything that He does. This is the only way to know God. For what God has and is, and everything of God, is not hollow and empty, but practical.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique I

In the vastness of the cosmos and the firmament, countless creatures live and reproduce, follow in an endless cycle the law of life, and adhere to one constant rule. Those who die take with them the stories of the living, and those who are living repeat the same tragic history of those who have perished. And so, mankind cannot help but ask: Why do we live? And why do we have to die? Who rules over this world? And who created this mankind? Was mankind really created by nature? Can mankind really control his own fate? … These are the questions mankind has asked ceaselessly for thousands of years. Unfortunately, the more that man has become obsessed with these questions, the more of a thirst he has developed for science. Science offers brief gratification and temporary enjoyment of the flesh, but cannot free man from the solitariness, loneliness, and barely-concealed terror and helplessness deep within his soul. Mankind merely uses scientific knowledge that he can see with his naked eye and understand with his brain to anesthetize his heart. Yet such scientific knowledge is not enough to stop mankind from exploring mysteries. Mankind simply does not know who the Sovereign of the universe and all things is, much less the beginning and future of mankind. Mankind merely lives, perforce, amid this law. None can escape it and none can change it, for among all things and above the universe there is but One from everlasting to everlasting who holds sovereignty over everything. He is the One who has never been beheld by man, the One whom mankind has never known, in whose existence mankind has never believed—yet He is the One who blew the breath into mankind’s ancestors and gave life to mankind. He is the One who provides for and nourishes mankind, allowing him to exist; and He is the One who has guided mankind up to the present day. Even more so, He and He alone is the One mankind depends on for survival. He holds sovereignty over all things and over all living beings in the universe. He governs the four seasons, and it is He who regulates the changes of the wind, frost, snow, and rain. He brings mankind sunshine and ushers in the night. It was He who laid out the heavens and earth, providing man with the mountains, lakes, and rivers, and all of the living things within them. His deeds are omnipresent, His power is omnipresent, His wisdom is omnipresent, and His authority is omnipresent. Each of these laws and rules is the embodiment of His deeds, a revelation of His wisdom and authority. Who can exempt themselves from His sovereignty? And who can discharge themselves from His designs? All things exist beneath His gaze, and moreover, all things live under His sovereignty. His deeds and His power leave mankind with no choice but to acknowledge that He really does exist, as well as the fact that He holds sovereignty over all things. Nothing apart from Him can rule over the universe, much less endlessly provide for this mankind. Regardless of whether you are able to recognize God’s deeds, and regardless of whether you believe in the existence of God, there is no doubt that your fate is ordained by God, and there is no doubt that God will always be the One who holds sovereignty over all things. His existence and authority are not predicated upon whether or not they are recognized and comprehended by man. Only He knows man’s past, present, and future, and only He can determine the fate of mankind. Regardless of whether you are able to accept this fact, it will not be long before mankind witnesses all of this with his own eyes, and this is the fact that God will soon bring to bear. Mankind lives and dies under the eyes of God. Man lives for the management of God, and closes his eyes for the final time for this management. Man comes and goes over and over again, back and forth. Without exception, it is all part of God’s sovereignty and His design. God’s management is perpetually advancing; it has never ceased. He will make mankind aware of His existence, believe in His sovereignty, behold His deeds, and return to His kingdom. This is His plan, and the work that He has been managing for thousands of years.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Appendix 3: Man Can Only Be Saved Amid God’s Management

From the moment you come crying into this world, you begin to fulfill your responsibilities. For the sake of God’s plan and His ordination, you play your role and start your life’s journey. Whatever your background may be, and whatever the journey ahead of you may be, in any case, no one can escape the orchestrations and arrangements of Heaven, and no one can control their own fate, for only He who is sovereign over all things is capable of such work. Ever since man came into existence in the beginning, God has always been performing His work in this manner, managing the universe, and directing the laws of change for all things and the trajectory of their movement. Like all things, man is quietly and unknowingly being nourished by the sweetness and rain and dew from God; like all things, man unknowingly lives under the orchestration of God’s hand. Man’s heart and spirit are within God’s grasp, and everything of his life is beheld in the eyes of God. Regardless of whether or not you believe all this, any and all things, whether living or dead, will shift, change, renew, and disappear in accordance with God’s thoughts. This is how God holds sovereignty over all things.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. God Is the Source of Man’s Life

From when He commenced the creation of all things, the power of God began to be expressed and revealed, for God used words to create all things. Regardless of in what manner He created them, regardless of why He created them, all things came into being, were established, and existed because of the words of God; this is the unique authority of the Creator. In the time before mankind appeared in the world, the Creator used His power and authority to create all things for mankind, and employed His unique methods to prepare a suitable living environment for mankind. All that He did was in preparation for mankind, who would receive His breath. This is to say, in the time before mankind was created, the authority of God was shown forth in all creations different from mankind, in things as great as the celestial bodies, the lights, the seas, and the land, and in those as small as animals and birds, as well as all sorts of insects and microorganisms, including various bacteria invisible to the naked eye. Each continued to exist due to the words of the Creator, each reproduced because of the words of the Creator, and each lived under the sovereignty of the Creator because of His words. Although they did not receive the breath of the Creator, they still showed forth through their different forms and structures the vitality of life that the Creator has endowed them with; although they did not receive the ability to speak given to mankind by the Creator, each received a way of expressing their life that was bestowed upon them by the Creator, and which differed from the language of man. The authority of the Creator not only endows seemingly static material objects with the vitality of life, so that they will never disappear, but even more so endows all kinds of living beings with the instinct to reproduce and live on, so that they will never vanish, and so that, generation after generation, they will pass on the laws and principles of survival that the Creator has endowed them with. The manner in which the Creator exerts His authority does not rigidly adhere to a macro or micro viewpoint, and is not limited to any form. He is able to command the operations of the universe and hold sovereignty over the life and death of all things, and, even more so, He is able to maneuver all things so that they serve Him. He can manage all the workings of the mountains, rivers, and lakes, and hold sovereignty over all things within them, and all the more He is able to provide that which is needed by all things. This is the manifestation of the unique authority of the Creator among all things besides mankind. Such a manifestation is not just for a lifetime; it will never cease, nor rest, and it cannot be altered or damaged by any person or thing, nor can it be added to or reduced by any person or thing—for none can replace the identity of the Creator, and, therefore, the authority of the Creator cannot be replaced by any created being, and is unattainable by any non-created being.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique I

Before this humankind came into being, the celestial bodies of the universe already existed. On the macro level, regardless of how many years these celestial objects have existed, they’ve been operating in orderly motion under God’s control. Which planet goes where at a particular time, which planet performs what task at a particular time, which planet follows which orbit, and when it disappears or is replaced—all these things proceed without the slightest error. The positions of the planets and the distances between them follow strict laws and correspond to precise measurements. The orbits they follow, the speed at which they move, the laws governing their movement, and when they will arrive at a certain position—there are precise measurements and set laws behind all of this. For eons the planets have operated within these laws, without the slightest deviation. No power can change or disrupt their orbits or the laws they follow. Because these precise measurements and the set laws that govern their motion are ordained by the Creator’s authority, they operate in orderly motion of their own accord under the Creator’s sovereignty and control. It’s not hard for people to discover some laws, some data, and some strange and unexplainable rules or phenomena at the macro level. Though mankind does not acknowledge God’s existence or accept the fact that the Creator made and has sovereignty over all things, much less acknowledge the existence of the Creator’s authority, human scientists, astronomers, and physicists are nonetheless finding more and more that the laws and rules that dictate the existence and movement of all things lie under the sovereignty and control of a vast and hidden dark energy. This fact compels people to confront and acknowledge that there is a Mighty One orchestrating everything in the midst of these laws that dictate the operations of all things. His power is extraordinary, and though no one can see His true face, He is exercising His sovereignty and control over everything at all times. No person or force can transcend His sovereignty. With this fact before them, people have no choice but to acknowledge that the laws for the existence of all things cannot be controlled by humans, and cannot be changed by anyone; they are also forced to acknowledge that these laws are unfathomable to humans—they did not form naturally, but are administered by a Sovereign. These are all aspects of the authority of God that people can perceive on a macro level.

On the micro level, all the mountains, rivers, lakes, seas, and landmasses that people may see on earth, all the seasons they experience, and all the things that inhabit the earth—including plants, animals, microorganisms, and humans—are subject to God’s sovereignty and control. God’s sovereignty and control make all things come into being or disappear in accordance with His thoughts, and also make the laws for the existence of all things arise. It is under these laws that all things multiply and live on; no person or thing can transcend these laws. Why can’t they? The only answer is this: It is because of God’s authority. “Because of God’s authority”—we could also say it’s because of God’s thoughts and God’s words, or because of the personal actions of God Himself. That is, the laws of all things arise because of God’s authority and God’s thoughts, and also shift and change because of His thoughts. These shifts and changes all arise or come to an end for the sake of His plan. Take epidemics, for example. They break out without warning. No one knows their origins or what exactly causes them, and wherever an epidemic goes, all those who are doomed cannot avoid calamity. From the perspective of human science, epidemics are caused by the proliferation of vicious or harmful microbes, and their speed, range, and method of transmission cannot be predicted or controlled by human science. Though people do all within their power to protect against epidemics, they cannot control which people or animals are inevitably affected when an epidemic breaks out. The only thing people can do is try to prevent them, protect against them, and research them. But no one knows the root cause behind the outbreak or end of any individual epidemic, and no one can control them. Faced with the outbreak and proliferation of an epidemic, the first measure people take is to develop a vaccine, but often the epidemic dies out without anyone realizing it before the vaccine is ready. Just how do epidemics die out? Some say the germs have been brought under control, while others say it’s because of the change in season…. As to whether these wild speculations hold up, science cannot offer a clear explanation or provide an accurate answer. What people are faced with, then, is not only these wild speculations, but also their confusion toward epidemics and their dread of them. No one knows just how these epidemics come about, or just how they disappear. Because people only believe science, and rely entirely upon it, while not acknowledging the Creator’s authority or accepting His sovereignty, they will never find answers to these questions.

Under God’s sovereignty, all things come into being, exist, and pass away because of His authority, and for the sake of His management. Some things come and go quietly, and man cannot see where they came from or grasp the laws they follow, much less understand the reasons why they come and go. Though everything that happens among all things can be seen by man with his own eyes, heard by man with his own ears, or personally experienced by man, though it is related to man, and though man can subconsciously experience the unusualness, regularity, or even oddness of the various phenomena, he still knows nothing about the intentions and thoughts of the Creator that lie behind everything that happens among all things. Many stories, many hidden facts lie there. Because man has wandered far from the Creator and because he does not accept the fact that the Creator’s authority holds sovereignty over all things, he can never understand and comprehend everything that happens under the sovereignty of the Creator’s authority. In sum, God’s control and sovereignty exceed the bounds of human imagination, of human knowledge, of human understanding, and of what human science can achieve; they are beyond the abilities of created humanity. Some people say, “You have not witnessed God’s sovereignty—how can you believe that all this is the result of His authority?” Seeing does not necessarily mean believing, or acknowledging and understanding. So, where does believing come from? I can say with certainty that believing comes from the degree and depth of people’s apprehension and experience of the root causes and truth of things. If you believe that God exists, but you cannot acknowledge, much less see, the fact of God’s sovereignty and God’s control over all things, then in your heart, you will never acknowledge that God has this kind of authority and that God’s authority is unique, and never truly accept the Creator as your Lord and your God.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique III

People often say that it is not an easy thing to know God. However, I say that knowing God is not a difficult matter at all, for God frequently displays His deeds for man to see. God has never ceased His dialogue with mankind, and He has never concealed Himself from man, and nor has He hidden Himself. His thoughts, His ideas, His words and His deeds are all revealed to mankind. Therefore, so long as man wishes to know God, he can come to understand and know Him through all sorts of means and methods. The reason why man blindly thinks that God has intentionally avoided him, that God has intentionally hidden Himself from humanity, that God has no intention of allowing man to understand and know Him, is because he does not know who God is and nor does he wish to understand God. Even more than that, man does not concern himself with the Creator’s thoughts, words or deeds…. Truthfully speaking, if a person just uses their spare time to focus upon and understand the Creator’s words or deeds, and if they pay just a little attention to the Creator’s thoughts and the voice of His heart, it will not be difficult for that person to realize that the Creator’s thoughts, words, and deeds are open and transparent. Likewise, it will take little effort to realize that the Creator is among man at all times, that He is always in conversation with man and all things, and that He is performing new deeds every day. His essence and disposition are expressed in His dialogue with man; His thoughts and ideas are revealed completely in His deeds; He accompanies and observes mankind at all times. He uses His silent words to quietly tell all things and mankind: “I am in the heavens, and I am amongst all things. I am keeping watch; I am waiting; I am at your side….” His hands are warm and strong; His footsteps are light; His voice is soft and graceful; His form passes and turns, embracing all of mankind; His countenance is beautiful and gentle. He has never left, never vanished. Day and night, He is mankind’s constant companion, never to leave their side.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique II

Under God’s authority, every person actively or passively accepts His sovereignty and arrangements, and no matter how they struggle throughout their life, no matter how many detours they take, they must ultimately return to the course of fate that the Creator has arranged for them. This is the insuperability of the Creator’s authority, and is the manner in which His authority exercises sovereignty over and governs all things. It is precisely this insuperability, and precisely this manner of exercising sovereignty and governing all things, that allow them to exist with regular order, that allow humans to reincarnate again and again without any interference, and that make the world operate regularly, moving forward day after day, year after year. You should have now all witnessed these facts and, whether superficially or deeply, you have also come to appreciate them. The depth of your appreciation depends on your experience and knowledge of the truth, and on your knowledge of God. How much knowledge you have of the truth reality, how much you have experienced God’s words, how much knowledge you have of God’s essence and disposition—all of this decides how deeply you know God’s sovereignty and arrangements. Does the existence of God’s sovereignty and arrangements depend on whether human beings submit to them? Is the fact that God possesses this authority determined by whether humanity submits to it? God’s authority exists regardless of the circumstances. In all situations, God holds sovereignty over and arranges everyone’s fate and all things in accordance with His thoughts and His desires. This will not change in accordance with changes in people; it is independent of man’s will, and cannot be altered by any changes in time, space, and geography, for God’s authority is His very essence. Whether man is able to know and accept God’s sovereignty, and whether man is able to submit to it—none of this alters in the slightest the fact of God’s sovereignty over human fate. That is to say, no matter what attitude man takes toward God’s sovereignty, it simply cannot change the fact that God holds sovereignty over human fate and over all things. Even if you do not submit to God’s sovereignty, your fate is still under His sovereignty; even if you don’t know His sovereignty, His authority still exists. God’s authority and the fact of God’s sovereignty over human fate are independent of human will, and do not change in accordance with man’s preferences and choices. God’s authority is everywhere, at every hour, at every instant. Heaven and earth will pass away, but His authority will never pass away, for He is God Himself, He possesses unique authority, and His authority is not restricted or limited by people, events, or things, by space or by geography. At all times, God wields His authority, manifests His great power, and continues His management work as He always has; at all times, He holds sovereignty over all things, provides for all things, and orchestrates all things—just as He always has. No one can change this. It is fact; it has been the unchanging truth since time immemorial!

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique III